


Captured

by ShayneyL



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Gen, Kidnapped, Prompt Fic, Whumptober 2020, disorientation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShayneyL/pseuds/ShayneyL
Summary: This is for Whumptober prompt #2, "Collars" and "Kidnapped."
Relationships: Harry Kim & Tom Paris
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Whumptober prompt #2, "Collars" and "Kidnapped."

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ 

_Paris. Attend_. The message came through tingling pulses from the heavy silver necklace locked around his neck.

Cursing to himself, Tom put down his tools and hurried toward the bridge. He smoothed down his hair and straightened his clothes as he went. Neatness counted, though it was better to be a little sloppy than late, he'd learned.

The doors slid open for him. Ordinarily, they wouldn't, but Captain Arat, having ordered his presence, had unlocked them. Telepathically, of course.

He approached the command chair, and bowed, as he'd been taught. He did not say anything. One did not speak unless one was spoken to.

The captain was, as always, beautiful and unreadable. Her face seemed carved of ebony, lovely, but expressionless, at least to human eyes. "Paris." She spoke aloud now, in her own language, which he understood a little of, now. "You are a fine and interesting attendant. I have decided to grant you a favor."

"Thank you, master," Tom said nervously. Rarely did anything good come out of attention from the captain, or any of the masters.

"It's cruel to keep you alone, so I have found you a companion." She gestured, and a door opened. Two masters came in, holding a struggling figure between them. Tom recoiled in horror. The creature was ragged, filthy, starving, and fought like a demon. This was his companion? What was he supposed to do with it?

Arat did not notice his distaste. "Our last stop, at Dessentashla. We acquired another of your species. We went to great trouble to do so. Unfortunately, it's not a very good specimen. But it was the only one we could find."

_One of his own species?? Here in the Delta Quadrant?_ Surely she was mistaken. All aliens looked alike to her, that was all. This couldn't possibly be…. Then the creature raised its head, and suddenly, there was a jolt of recognition. Through some trick of the heart, he saw through the grime and rags, and knew his best friend. "Harry!"

At the sound of his voice, Harry Kim stopped fighting. "Tom?" he said, his voice hoarse and incredulous.

Arat gave a signal to her men, and they let go of Harry, shoving him toward Tom. Harry stumbled forward, and collapsed in Tom's arms. Tom held him tight, despite the filth.

"You are pleased with it?" Arat asked.

Of course he wasn't. He couldn't be happy to see his best friend enslaved, as he was. _Oh, Harry, poor kid_. But what he said was, "Yes, master. I am pleased."

"Good," Arat said. "Take him back to your quarters and get him cleaned up. Bring him to Medical at 14.50 rotations."

* * *

Tom's quarters were nicer than his quarters on _Voyager_ had been. Well, aside from the fact that there was no replicator and no computer. The furniture was more comfortable and decorative than the blandly functional Starfleet standard, and there was no need to worry about water rations. He sent Harry to shower, and went to get clothing from the quartermaster for him.

Now Harry sat curled at the end of Tom's soft couch. Tom had guessed too large for the clothing, he saw. Harry was thinner than he'd been in their _Voyager_ days, and the light gray sweater and pants that were the uniform of the ship's attendants hung on him. He also was also covered with scrapes and bruises. That was likely what the medical appointment was for.

Tom sat beside him, looking at him with a critical eye. He hoped Harry wasn't too hungry. It wasn't mealtime yet, and Tom thought it would be better to wait until after the medical appointment before Harry tried eating anyway. He didn't think the doctor, who tended to be short-tempered, would be very understanding if Harry had trouble keeping food down.

"Harry," Tom said, putting his arm carefully on his friend's shoulder. "I'm glad to see a friendly face here, but damn. I thought you got away."

They'd gotten separated. At that bar on Rothegera III. Tom had gone in, assuming Harry was following him, but when he looked around, he wasn't there. "I think they put something in my drink in that bar," Tom said. "I woke up on this ship. With a terrible headache."

And some new jewelry, but Tom didn't mention that. He suspected Harry would get his own silver necklace, soon enough.

"I'm glad I found you," Harry said, looking up through the hair falling across his face. He was way overdue for a haircut. "Now how do we get away?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't still be here," Tom replied. " _Voyager_ …they can't still be looking for us." It had been weeks, maybe months.

"Then we'll have to find a way to catch up with them," Harry said.

"We'll think about it later. I have to take you to Medical now."

"I'm all right," Harry protested.

"No, you're not," Tom said. "And it's not up to us, anyway.

"Tom…where are we?" Harry asked. "Are we prisoners?"

"Not exactly." He didn't want to tell Harry. Not yet. But he didn't see any way to avoid it. "More like slaves."

"What?" Harry's eyes had locked on the heavy, jeweled necklace that hung around Tom's neck, just above his collarbone.

"This species…they're the top dog in this section of space. They don't care about other species' governments or civilizations. They take what they want, and otherwise leave everyone else alone. No one dares challenge them. Even the Hirogen avoid them."

"How's their warp technology?" Harry asked. Hoping to find a faster way home, no doubt. Harry was ever the optimist.

"Not sure, but I am sure we don't want to draw their attention to _Voyager_ or Federation space. Their weapons are very good."

"What do they want with us?

"I don't know," Tom replied. "Some of us do labor the masters don't want to do. Some are used for…entertainment. I haven't been asked to do anything, really. I pitch in on maintenance, just to have something to do. I think they value me because I'm exotic. And…" Tom hesitated, but had to say it. "I think they got you to be a companion to me. I'm so sorry, Har."

"How…?"

"Not you in particular, Harry. They just wanted another human. They probably didn't even know we knew each other." Tom did his best to share what he'd figured out so far. "They evolved from social animals. Animals that live in herds. Or packs. They felt it was cruel to keep me without another of my own kind."

"So they like you?"

"Like a pet owner likes a pet."

Harry absorbed that silently.

"Come on. Time to get you to Medical."

"We can just walk around? We're not locked in?"

"We can't get out of this section without permission," Tom said. "They are telepaths. They control the ship with their minds. There aren't any manual controls, except where we mind-blind types need them."

* * *

Harry sat on the end of the exam table, watching the alien doctor with a mix of wariness and curiosity. The doctor was typical of the ship's masters, a solidly built man with dark skin, black hair, and golden eyes. He ran a scanner over Harry, muttering.

The doctor picked up a cylinder, calibrated it, and sprayed something pungent in Harry's face. Harry jerked away, coughing. "Stop that," the doctor said, and backhanded him, hard enough to knock him flat on the exam table.

"Jeez." Tom grabbed Harry's wrist, afraid his sometimes impetuous friend would come up swinging. "He wasn't resisting you," Tom said to the doctor. "It was just a reflex. He couldn't help it. And be careful, would you? We humans are kind of fragile."

The doctor looked at Tom, then at Harry, who was glaring furiously but otherwise quiescent. Tom feared for a moment that he himself would be the target of the doctor's wrath next. But after a long moment, the doctor just said, "Very well." He put down the spray and picked up a hypo instead. A quick shot, and Harry was unconscious.

"What are you going to do with him?" Tom asked.

The collar around his neck pulsed, a pattern Tom had come to recognize as the equivalent of "dismissed." If he didn't obey, the pulses would become pain. He squeezed Harry's wrist one last time, and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Whumptober prompt #25, "Disorientation."

Hours later, Tom was sitting in the dining hall. It was dinner time, and Harry still hadn't been released from Medical. Tom wasn't particularly hungry, but he figured he should eat. He also wanted to get some food for Harry, in case he missed dinner. He'd already missed lunch.

He felt a flash of disorientation. Dizziness, pain, confusion.

"What's the matter?" Tom realized he had dropped his spoon, and one of his tablemates was concerned. Rusind, who lived across the hall, was leaning over him. "Is your friend waking up?"

"I…how would I know?" Tom asked.

"Didn't they tell you?" Rusind said. "You're being linked. That's the reason your friend was brought on board."

"Linked?"

"Almost all of us have linkmates," Rusind said. "The masters…they are telepaths. They feel sorry for their mind-blind attendants, and so give us an approximation of their bond."

"How?" Tom asked, horrified. 

"Cybernetic implant," Rusind replied. "We who are born on the ship get them in childhood. You probably got yours when you were brought on board, but it wasn't connected to anything. Until your friend arrived. Now he's your linkmate."

Tom felt sick. He dropped his head into his hands. Was that whirlwind of confusion invading his mind…Harry?

"We find the linkage pleasant," Rusind said. "It's meant as a kindness. They would not have linked you if you weren't compatible."

"They asked me if I liked him," Tom realized. "I should have said no."

"Why, if he's your friend? Who knows what they would have done with him if you rejected him. The linkage is under your control. It only goes as deep as you want it to. You can shut it off if you want."

"How?"

"It's like a water faucet," Rusind said. "It can be a trickle or a flood, or shut off entirely. Just envision it."

Sure enough, Tom found he could control the window in his mind that led to…Harry?

"He's probably still groggy from the surgery," Rusind said. "You might want to keep the link closed until he's more awake."

Tom considered that. Maybe that would be best. On the other hand, maybe he could provide some comfort if he kept the link open. "Thanks," he said. "I think I'll go back to my room to deal with this."

* * *

Tom lay on his bed, eyes closed, but not asleep. He probed carefully at the link. "Harry?" he sent.

Harry was still not fully conscious…and yes, Tom realized, it was Harry. He recognized memories of _Voyager_ that were floating through the link. The memories became clearer as Harry awoke. That bar on Rothegera III. Harry had tried to follow Tom in, but had been stopped. They thought he wasn't old enough. He'd waited outside for Tom, but Tom had never emerged or answered his combadge.

Eventually, Harry had to return to _Voyager_. They'd searched for Tom for days, but finally had to give up. They went on without him.

_Then what are you doing here?_ Tom wondered.

Harry in a confrontation with Captain Janeway. He didn't want to give up on Tom. The captain didn't, either, but she had the rest of the crew to consider. There was nothing further they could do.

Tom had seen this side of Harry from time to time. One of these days he was going to end up in the brig. And it appeared he'd come close this time. He stole the _Delta Flyer_ , using his Ops codes to hide the launch until it was too late. To come back and look for Tom.

_Oh, Harry. You came back to look for me? Are you crazy?_

_Tom? What…?_

Tom could feel Harry reaching through the link, trying to know who it was. He could block Harry, Tom realized, but did not, allowing Harry to access to his body-sense, so he would know who it was, and to their shared memories. "I can choose my own friends…" "Friend? What makes you think I'm your friend?" "This man is my friend, no one touches him…"

Tom could sense an edge of panic coming through the link, and he couldn't really blame Harry. Still, he sensed bad things could happen if they allowed their emotions to get out of control. Harry's fear was feeding Tom's own.

There was a sudden explosion of pain. Tom cried out, and he sensed Harry was doing the same. Tom recognized the pain. It was the kind used by the masters as a reprimand, delivered through the silver collars. And it wasn't his own collar that was the source of the pain. It was Harry's. He must be annoying the doctor in some way.

He wanted to shut down the link, avoid the pain, but he forced himself to keep it open. _Harry? It's okay. Be quiet, be still, don't fight back._

Harry was confused and disoriented, still not fully conscious. _Tom? Tom, what did they do to us?_

_They've mentally linked us with cybernetic implants, but we have control over them. You can block me out if you want to._ He demonstrated, by briefly blocking out Harry. _See?_

Harry seemed calmer. Or maybe just distracted. _Tom, they want you to come down here._

* * *

Tom sat shoulder to shoulder next to Harry on an exam table. The doctor was running a scanner over both of them. "The linkage appears to be functioning normally," he said. "You may go." He gave Harry a data card. "Your quarters."

"Why did you do this to us?" Harry asked.

Tom felt the pulses through his own collar as well as Harry's. "Come on, Harry. That means 'dismissed.'" He pulled Harry off the table, toward the door.

"Go," the doctor said.

Harry hesitated, and a wave of pain knocked him off his feet. Tom shut down the link to block it out. He picked up the card Harry had dropped, then pulled Harry to his feet. "Come on, you're not up to a confrontation now."

Harry was furious, but he went along with Tom, scowling back at the doctor.

Harry's suite was right next to Tom's. Tom showed Harry how to use the card to open the door.

Harry was still so angry he wasn't shielding at all. Tom kept his barriers up, in the interest of self-preservation.

Harry settled on the arm of a padded chair. He touched the silvery jeweled necklace now around his neck. "It's used to punish us?" he asked Tom.

"It's mostly used to communicate," Tom said. "But yeah, it can be used for discipline. Harry…it can kill, if you make them mad enough."

Harry looked down, still fingering the necklace. His hair had been trimmed in the customary style of the ship, a sleek cap that framed his face, and it looked like his injuries had been healed. The bruises and scrapes were gone. "Does it happen often?" Harry asked.

"No," Tom said. "But…"

"What?"

"Harry, most of the attendants here were born to this life. The masters…they aren't used to resistance. It's considered poor form to kill one of us, but sometimes they lose their tempers. Some more than others."

Harry absorbed that. "If they're not used to resistance…we might catch them by surprise, and escape."

Tom had his doubts about that, but carefully did not let them leak through the link. Let Harry have what hope he could. Cautiously, Tom let the link open. Harry seemed to be calmer now. "When did you eat last?"

Harry shrugged. Tom could read through the link that Harry didn't remember. It could have been days. Better start off slow, then. He gestured Harry to sit down at the table, and went next door to his rooms. He came back with a small dish of nuts, brought from the dining room earlier, and a glass of water. "Here." He put them on the table.

"I'm not hungry," Harry said, not moving from the couch.

"Yes, you are. You just don't realize it." Tom was hungry himself; his dinner had been interrupted. He ate one of the nuts. It wasn't like any nut that grew on earth, but it was very tasty. He let his hunger and his enjoyment of the tidbit bleed through the link.

It worked. Harry came over to the table and sat down. "Slowly," Tom warned him. "Don't shock your digestive system."

Harry began eating. As Tom had expected, the taste of food spurred Harry's appetite, and he made short work of the small quantity of nuts. "I know you're still hungry. Give it half an hour to settle, then we'll go to the dining hall. It'll be open for awhile longer."

"They provide all the food?" Harry asked. "No payment, no rationing?"

Tom nodded. "Food, shelter, clothing, all provided." He gestured at the room around them. "This suite is all yours. I'm your neighbor." He pointed to the connecting door.

"Luxury compared to Akritiri," Harry said.

"Uh, yeah, about that. Remember what I told you then about not coming back for me?"

"You can write me up when we get back to _Voyager_. You'll have to wait in line behind Captain Janeway."

"But why, Harry? Your service record was perfect."

"Because you're my friend. You think I care about my service record?"

Harry did care about his service record, Tom could tell. He just cared about his friends a hell of a lot more. Tom blinked back tears, then realized there was no point. His emotions were pouring through the link. Tom stood up, tried to move away. Harry came after him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

Tom found himself leaning into the touch. It was so good to be with another human being. He hadn't realized how much he had missed other people. There were plenty of others here on the ship, but they were not human. They did not have human instincts. They didn't touch, except aggressively.

_I'm not worth it. You should have left me, Harry…._

Harry was crying a little, worn out by everything that had happened and overwhelmed by wordless emotions: fear, relief, desperation…love. Finally, rising from the maelstrom: _You're worth it, Tom_.

What had he done to deserve a friend like Harry Kim?

The answer came through the link. _You saved me. When you didn't even know me. You died for me._

Tom saw memories of himself that he didn't recognize. In Sandrine's. In San Francisco. Flying through space in some kind of shuttle. It must be that alternate timestream. "I owe you one," Harry had told him, but had refused to go into any detail.

Sharing Harry's memories, Tom realized why. Tom Paris been a degenerate drunk in that timestream. Harry hadn't wanted him to know that. Was that really what who he'd be without _Voyager_ …without Harry?

"No," Harry said. "You'd have come around eventually. Just took a little longer."

More memories. Harry running through San Francisco, chased by Starfleet security. Caught, wrestled to the ground. And then, rescued…by a knight in flowered armor. Tom. _Was I really wearing that vest?_

_Yes_ , Harry answered, amused. He showed Tom the rest of what happened. Beaming to Harry's office, stealing the prototype, the warp core overloading. Harry refusing to leave while Tom was in danger. Until Tom shoved him bodily into the transporter, forcing him to go. "If you're right, you'll find me on _Voyager_."

_Harry, that wasn't really me. You didn't owe me anything. I'm not worth it._ It wasn't him, but part of him at least…really wanted it to be. That was the kind of hero Tom had always dreamed of being.

_It was you. You are worth it._ Harry pulled him into an embrace. Tom resisted briefly, then put his arms around Harry, hugging him back.

Tom had more or less given up, expecting to spend the rest of his life on this alien ship. But now that Harry was here, he realized that was no longer an option He had to find a way to get them back to _Voyager._


End file.
